Letters to a Young Contrarian

This is a book about how life as a radical, revolutionary, and dissident should be lived. What to expect should you choose to live such a life? Hitchens lived an interesting life, for lack of a better word. He has gone undercover making documentaries on an Indian godman. He’s covered warzones, gotten himself arrested or roughed up by police for speaking against authorities in more than one country, debated rabbis, etc. The wisdom shared by Hitchens is a reflection of all his experiences.

Hitchens, who refers to himself, not as an atheist, but as an “antitheist”–one who believes that the influence of religion has been harmful, encourages the reader–the hypothetical young contrarian–to live the “as if” philosophy. One lived by Rosa Parks when in the 60s she decided to live “as if” a hardworking black woman could sit down on a bus at the end of the day’s labor. Or how one should not hesitate to question authority irrespective of whether it’s political, religious, or societal. Question everything and everyone. He also stresses the importance of travel for it shows that stupidity and cruelty are the same everywhere in the world, and to adopt internationalism, and might I add, humanism. Living by and for what’s right, no matter who you end up offending, is my interpretation of this small book’s core lessons.

Hitchens’ polemic genius speaks for itself the moment you start reading his works or listen to his debates. He is not the smooth-sailing type of writer, his writing is engrossing, adorned with quotes, accounts, and anecdotes, showcasing his exceptional talent to piece together various works to make a point. This book has the tendency to stimulate minds, the minds of those who are unsure about their non-conformism, and how it might turn out for them in the long run.

Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity, seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence.